Small space Italian Sicilian garden

Thyme and lettuce in a small space garden

Saturday, June 26, 2021

You don't need much garden space to grow the majority of your produce at home.  If you love Italian food or want to eat the Mediterranean way, try a Sicilian kitchen garden.

This is an option if you have as little as a 6' x 6' garden space:

Herbs (1 each)-thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, and flat leaf parsley

3 basil plants (for pesto and seasoning)

2 tomatoes-1 Roma type for sauces and 1 slicer type for salads

2 sweet pepper plants

1 bush zucchini

1 eggplant

8 red onions (you can substitute Egyptian walking onions for a summer garden)

8 garlic plants (planted in the fall for summer harvest)

Arugula, spinach and lettuce scatter sown

If you like a little spice, you can substitute a sweet pepper plant for a spicy pepper plant.  Spicy is popular in southern Italy and Sicily. 

Any of these plants can also be grown in pots if you don't have enough sunny flower bed or lawn space.  For more on container gardening and pot sizes for each variety Decorative container gardening for edibles

I always recommend starting small for a first garden.  You can expand next year to grow more or less to match what you like and need for recipes.  If you want to add to your garden, here are blogs on other varieties you can grow  Heirloom Sicilian kitchen garden  Mediterranean diet garden  Add the veggies you enjoy eating and have space for next year.

You can start a garden at any time in spring, summer or fall.  If you are deciding to start your garden in the summer, there are a few techniques to use to figure out what to plant and help your plants survive and flourish.

If you are buying plants, they should already be conditioned for the heat and sun.  Just transplant into a pot or the ground.  Fertilize when planting with a balanced organic fertilizer and keep moist for a week or so while the plant gets used to its new home.  Plants in the ground require about 1" of rain or water weekly after established.  Plants in pots require about 3x as much.  Summer garden tips 

If you are starting seed, follow the seed packet directions for planting and keep moist until the seed sprouts.  The seed packet will tell you the number of days until germination.  Outdoor seed starting tips